Former President Bill Clinton has been meat-free for more than six years for his health, and vegan cooking is getting more popular among people looking for a healthful way to eat. If you’re following a vegan diet – or just want to try a recipe or two – check out these dishes from top cookbooks...

Actresses Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain, tennis star Serena Williams and supermodel Petra Němcová have all gone vegan. Meatless cooking has been featured by Oprah, Ellen and Martha.

But perhaps the biggest evangelist for vegan cooking right now is Bill Clinton.

The former president has been eating a vegan diet ever since a health scare landed the then-overweight former president in the hospital for heart surgery in February 2010.

Not only has he lost weight, he has more energy and feels better than ever before, Clinton said in the Aug.-Sept. 2013 issue of AARP: The Magazine. His meals now include such foods as raw and roasted vegetables, nuts, beans, exotic grains like quinoa, and fruit for dessert, according to the magazine.

Vegan eating means giving up all animal products, including meat, fish and dairy, in favor of plant foods. About 7% of Americans say they’re vegans, while another 6% call themselves vegetarian (meaning they’re less strict and may eat eggs or dairy), according to a 2013 survey of national eating habits by Public Policy Polling.

Some people give up meat for ethical reasons, while others, like Clinton, do it for their health. Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio have found a new link between red meat and an increased risk of heart disease.

People who eat meat regularly have bacteria in their digestive tracts that convert carnitine – a natural amino acid compound found in meat, dairy and other foods – into trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), the researchers found. And TMAO promotes atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, by increasing plaque in the blood vessels.

Vegans and vegetarians didn’t produce as much TMAO as meat eaters did, according to the April 2013 study, which was published in the journal Nature Medicine.

“We measured carnitine in the blood of more than 2,500 people and followed them for three years to see who developed heart problems and atherosclerosis,” says lead study author Stanley Hazen, M.D., Ph.D., chairman of Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Cell Biology. “We saw that carnitine is a very strong future predictor of heart attack, stroke and death, independent of other factors.”

Carnitine is also added to energy drinks and nutritional supplements as a metabolism or energy booster, but Dr. Hazen recommends against using them.

“Our bodies make all the carnitine we need,” he tells Lifescript.

The research may help explain why risk of being hospitalized or dying from heart disease was 32% lower among British vegetarians than those who eat meat, according to a January 2013 study of 45,000 people by the University of Oxford in England, which was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. They also had lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

“This very exciting study gives us new ways to look at how what we eat affects our health,” says James Beckerman, M.D., a cardiologist at Providence St. Vincent Heart Clinic in Portland, Ore., and author of The Flex Diet: Design Your Own Weight-Loss Plan (Touchstone).

“It shows that a diet lower in meat makes it less likely for people to grow the bacteria involved in converting carnitine to TMAO,” Dr. Beckerman says. “It may not be a magic bullet,” but it could be one tool people can use to ward off heart disease, he adds.

“A vegan diet might be difficult for some people to stick with in the long term, but research like this can perhaps make people think about [eating] less meat,” Dr. Beckerman says.

Cutting back on meat can have other benefits too. Former president Clinton – who famously enjoyed his fast-food hamburgers – lost at least 50 pounds after going vegan, AARP: The Magazine reports. Clinton made the change after undergoing quadruple bypass surgery in 2004 and then having two stents – tubes that hold the arteries open – inserted in February 2010.

Clinton’s dietary change came with the blessing, and at the urging, of his good friend cardiologist Dean Ornish, M.D., assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, and author of Eat More, Weigh Less (HarperCollins).

“I advised him to consider eating a plant-based diet, since decades of research proved that this way of eating – combined with moderate exercise, stress management techniques and social support – could reverse the progression of even severe coronary heart disease,” Dr. Ornish says.

The most difficult part of a vegan diet? Giving up “frozen yogurt and hard cheeses,” Clinton told Lifescript at the 2013 Health Matters Conference.

But even if you don’t go completely vegan, your heart will benefit from eating more unprocessed fruits, vegetables and whole grains, says cardiologist John M. Kennedy, M.D., director of Preventive Cardiology and Wellness at Marina Del Rey Hospital in Marina del Rey, Calif., and author of The 15-Minute Heart Cure (Wiley).

Vegan meals should also be low in processed foods and white sugar, he notes. After all, Oreo cookies and some Lay’s potato chips are free of animal products, but that doesn’t mean those cookies and chips should be a major part of your diet.

Also, strict vegans need to choose foods carefully to make sure they get enough of certain nutrients, says Nupur Kumar, M.D., chief of the Department of Family Medicine at Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles.

They include protein (from foods such as tofu, legumes and nuts), calcium (from leafy greens and fortified beverages) and vitamin B12 (which is mostly found in animal products, so you might also need a supplement).

Bursting with produce and tasting of summer, yet warm, comforting and substantial enough to stand up to a chill in the air, this stew is perfect when served with a loaf of crusty bread or spelt crackers (made with an ancient grain similar to wheat) for dunking. It’s easy to assemble, and the varied bean sizes and shapes have great visual appeal. Use whatever beans you have, with the variety totaling 1 cup dry. Soak the beans separately, or the black beans will turn everything purple!

2. Bring the stock, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce and 2 teaspoons liquid smoke to a low boil in a small saucepan. Add the TVP, stir, and let sit for 5 minutes.

3. Warm 1 tablespoon of canola oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and sauté for 2 minutes.

4. Put the onion mixture, rehydrated TVP, oats, 1-1/4 cups ketchup, wheat gluten, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce and 1 teaspoon liquid smoke in a large bowl. Stir until all ingredients are combined. You can also use your hands to better mix all the ingredients.

5. Put the mixture into the prepared pan or shape it into a loaf and place it on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 40 minutes. Add remaining 1/2 cup ketchup to the top of the loaf and bake for another 15 minutes.

“Grab a cookie sheet and roast up some veg! Feel free to share this starter-kit recipe with your friends. In fact, I insist that you do!” says dietitian Rachel Beller in her introduction to this super-simple staple of vegan dining.

Serves: 2-4 per cookie sheetPrep time: A few minutes, or less than a minute if you buy pre-cut veggiesCook time: 20-30 minutes

Preparation
1. Toss chopped or pre-cut veggies (preferably organic) such as green beans, cauliflower, carrots, multicolored bell peppers and any other vegetables you like onto a cookie sheet.

2. Spray with olive oil and season to taste (you can use Beller’s Magical Mystery Mix, below).

3. Throw it into a preheated 375-degree oven. In 20-30 minutes you’ll have yummy caramelized veg. Got leftovers? Mix them with fresh greens to make the base of tomorrow’s lunch.

Magical Mystery Mix
This adds a serious flavor kick to your roasted veggies. It’s also loaded with anti-inflammatory ingredients and has zero calories. Just take an empty salt shaker and fill it with roughly equal portions of:

These quesadillas make a fun and simple summertime meal and have only 305 calories per serving. To save time, grate the cheese while the corn is grilling. You may notice that soy cheese doesn’t melt like dairy cheese; in this case, that’s not a bad thing, as you’ll avoid having to clean strings of cheese off the grill when the meal is done!

This creamy, mustard-spiked potato salad is made with red potatoes (which have red skin but are white or slightly yellow on the inside) and sweet potatoes. With soy instead of dairy products, each serving is only about 215 calories and offers 3 grams of protein, no cholesterol, 4 grams of fiber and just 2 grams of saturated fat.

Preparation
1. In 5- to 6-quart saucepot, place red potatoes and enough water to cover by 1 inch; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 2 minutes. Stir in sweet potatoes; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are just fork-tender.

4. In small bowl, whisk soy mayonnaise and soy milk until smooth. Add mayonnaise mixture, celery, onion and parsley to potato mixture; gently stir with rubber spatula until potatoes are well coated. Serve at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

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